Julia Child’s Classic Beef Bourguignon Copycat Recipe
According to the accounts of her technique, the timing is short and manageable: simmer the grated potato in the soup for about 7 to 8 minutes, then strain it out. The goal isn’t to make your soup taste like potatoes (unless that’s the soup you were making). It’s to give the salt somewhere else to go.
A Few Practical Tips So You Don’t Overcorrect
This is where the method feels especially “Julia”: it’s simple, but it expects you to pay attention. Start with one raw potato for a standard pot of soup, grate it in, simmer, then taste. If the soup is still aggressively salty, you can repeat the process with another small potato—but don’t do two at once unless your soup is truly beyond the pale. You’re aiming for balance, not a broth that tastes oddly muted.
Also, be sure you actually strain. The potato has done its job; leaving it in can change the texture and dilute the flavor in a way that feels accidental rather than intentional.
